Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital expands surgical capabilities to Berks County
Pediatric surgeons partnering with highly trained pediatric hospitalists and nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center
Penn State Health is expanding pediatric specialty services at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, increasing access to high-quality surgical care for children and adolescents in Berks County and the surrounding regions.
Pediatric surgeons from Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital, based at Penn State Health’s flagship Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus in Hershey, are now offering pre-surgical appointments and performing general surgery and gastrointestinal surgical procedures at St. Joseph Medical Center.
Dr. Robert Ricca, chief of Pediatric Surgery at the Children’s Hospital, performed the first surgical procedure by a Children’s Hospital pediatric surgeon at St. Joseph Medical Center — a diagnostic laparoscopy on 8-year-old Heaven Melendez of Sinking Spring, Berks County.
“This expansion represents the best of both worlds for Berks County families,” said Dr. Ricca. “They will have access to the expertise of pediatric surgeons from Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital, backed by the compassionate, experienced pediatric care team at St. Joseph Medical Center.”
Following surgery, children needing inpatient care will be admitted to St. Joseph Medical Center’s dedicated pediatric inpatient unit. The Medical Center employs board-certified pediatric hospitalists and highly trained pediatric nurses. These clinicians have extensive experience caring for children and work closely with pediatric surgeons to ensure continuity of care throughout a child’s hospital stay.
“We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital and to work together to advance pediatric care in Berks County,” said Dr. Kimberly Wolf, vice president and chief medical officer of St. Joseph Medical Center. “This collaboration ensures the highest quality of pediatric surgical care is available to families in our community.”
The pediatric surgery team at the Children’s Hospital uses the latest techniques to treat a broad range of diagnoses from routine to highly complex. Its surgeons are experienced in many pediatric surgery specialties, including neonatal surgery, pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric minimally invasive surgery, pediatric trauma and pediatric thoracic surgery. The Children’s Hospital’s expert surgeons lead full teams, including providers and support staff, who are specially trained to care for infants, children and teens. The Children’s Hospital was among the first in the nation to be designated a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons.
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